Work Text:
Sometimes, life just plays the funniest little tricks on you.
Like when you are notified of an all-you-can-eat contest in the cafeteria the next day, but at the time you finally manage to get down there to enroll, they tell you that they have already reached maximum capacity. So, instead of enjoying whatever kind of delicious food they have in store for you and getting a trophy for that pleasure, you torture yourself by looking on as other people choke on the nutrients that should have been rightfully yours!
God, that was a frustrating Wednesday!
Or! Or, when you get asked on a get-together with your friends, so you decide to dress up to make the best impression your fifteen times in a row perfect figure can provide for you, only to find out you´re going to a museum! A dark, hidden from the public eye, and totally not fit for the youth of today museum!
…Okay, that one had turned out fine in the end, but still!
The point is; life likes to throw you curveballs.
Often.
Especially when your name happens to be Anna Yanami.
The latest of them had been so insanely curvy, she now found herself in the presence of the most curvy person she had ever known; Karen Himemiya, her, at times, best friend.
And if that wasn’t curvy enough for you, her childhood friend and ex-crush, Sosuke is along for the ride.
Like usual, they had invited her to join them on one of their suspiciously couply sounding activities only this time she had actually agreed to tag along.
So, right now at 7:30 in the evening, Anna found herself sitting in the corner of a fluffy bed in a dark room with two of her closest friends, watching the latest season of a romcom anime that had just dropped the week before.
What it is about, you ask? She had no idea.
Neither she nor Karen had watched even a minute of the series since Sosuke had pressed the play button.
“I told you to bring him along, didn’t I? I´m sure Sosuke wouldn’t have minded it.” Her pink-haired bestie mumbled while snacking on some popcorn which she had wrestled out of her grip only minutes before.
“Appreciated it really.” The boy who had been her closest friend since she was able to walk sounded more than a little annoyed, but Anna realized she cared little for it at the moment.
She had bigger fish to fry.
“If either of you think he would have agreed to come here without me begging for it, you don’t know him very well.”
Not like she hadn't asked him, but…
Ahh! This was so not what she had wanted!
Since she had met him, there had been one constant about Kazuhiko Nukumizu; he did not like crowds. And his definition of a crowd was a much smaller one than her own.
He could deal with them, but he would never search them out.
Or at least he used to…
Karen snickered on the bed and nearly choked when Anna threw her a stinging glare.
“What? It's funny thinking about you begging him to come.”
“Obviously I haven’t done so, or he would be here! So fantasizing about it is all you can do.”
“Seeing you so pouty about it is a close second.”
“Give me that popcorn!”
Five minutes later said popcorn was nearly completely gone.
She wouldn’t say it out loud, even if her actions made it pretty easy to deduct, but she was angry at Nukumizu. Not only because he had declined to join them this evening, but because it was starting to become a pattern.
At this point, Anna felt almost neglected!
Oh, how she yearned for the early days of their budding friendship! When it was them and only them together with their food on the emergency stairway for what felt like hours at a time!
To be fair, at first, he had been little more than a convenient valve to alleviate some of her pent-up frustrations.
If nothing else, he was a splendid listener, and although he kept complaining every time she told him about a different uncomfortable situation her newly paired up best friends had all too kindly provided for her, he would never leave her alone with it, and speaking about it would make her feel better nine out of ten times.
He was the only one she could speak about that stuff with who wouldn’t judge her. Sure, they had been in the same class for nearly a year at that point but had never truly interacted with each other before. Consequently, she didn’t much care what he thought of her even if he too was judging her.
Then, after joining the literature club and spending even more time together, her perspective on him slowly started to change.
She saw first-hand now how kind he could be, how considered. Not just to her but to everybody around him. He helped Komari after she had been rejected by the club president and did the same with Lemon only a couple of weeks later. Not once did he ask for something in return! It was like he actively tried to stay in the background.
While Anna had allowed her worst impulses to take over at times, thinking that the both of them could just steal away the object of their affection so that they could be happy, Nukumizu had remained rational and calm, searching for the best outcome for everybody involved without actively hurting anybody. It was something she couldn’t help but admire about him.
He wasn’t flawless of course.
The boy could be almost as timid as Komari at times and nearly as clueless as Lemon.
For example; that time when they had stood together on the rooftop! They had been talking about nothing of consequence when he suddenly became totally serious and focused, only for him to formally ask her to be his friend while bowing to her.
Honestly, he had almost given her a heart attack back then! She had believed he wanted to confess his love to her! After only a couple of weeks of truly knowing one another!
Ridiculous.
…although… at times, she found herself wondering nowadays what might have happened if he had actually confessed to her that day.
Obviously, she would have turned him down… right? I mean everything else would have been stupid and rushed… wouldn’t it?
Then again, at least if he were her boyfriend he would make more time for her! She would totally flip if he didn’t!
After the school festival and with his new role as vice president of the literature club, he had become increasingly busy these last few weeks.
Not only that, suddenly, it seemed like everybody and their mother wanted something from the man.
Komari and Lemon were a given and she could deal with them… even though she sometimes had the feeling that they might be getting a little too comfortable with each other, but the school president and her lackeys?! Not to mention his weird interactions with the school nurse! Now that was just too much!
Only today he had excused himself from watching the series with her and her friends because he and Komari had to attend a late meeting with the school council. How rude! She had even offered to make extra popcorn for him to make the get-together more enticing!
This wasn’t fair. It had been ages since they last had lunch together and she missed it. Missed him!
How come everybody else took precedence these days?! Anna had discovered him first after all!
She nearly clawed at the bottom of the popcorn bag, desperately searching for one more bite to eat when Karen spoke up again.
“You don’t think he´s cheating on you, do you?”
“Huh?!” Luckily, she hadn't found any more popcorn, otherwise, she would have surely spat it out at that comment.
“Never! Nukumizu is too much of a gentleman to sink so low!” For the first time, Sosuke actually sounded interested in their conversation as he interrupted before she could set things straight.
“If he is such a gentleman, then why isn’t he here, spending time with his worrying girlfriend?”
Again, she wanted to interject, but Sosuke was just too fast.
“Anna told us that he was busy with club stuff this evening. It´s not like he didn’t want to come. I´m sure he has apologized for it multiple times by now.”
He had.
Nukumiza had even written her a text only minutes prior, telling her that he was sorry.
It was sweet, but she still felt angry, so she chose to ignore it for now.
Karen just shook her head while she grabbed a cushion to hold on to. “If you blew me off like that, I would never forgive you!”
“Wha-“
“He didn’t blow me off!” Anna finally managed to get a word of protest in. “He apologized and I know he was upset about it, so it´s okay.”
“You don’t look okay sweety.”
Did she really? Maybe she couldn’t feel the difference anymore. Being angry about stuff was kind of her thing ever since Sosuke had been stolen from her- no, that wasn’t right, she hadn't been angry about that for a while now.
“It´s just that it feels like he doesn’t have any time for me anymore, you know?” She was getting so invested that she completely forgot to set the record straight. Nukumizu wasn’t her boyfriend and yet she was complaining about him as if he was. “He´s always busy with the club, or the school council, or Komari… or searching for the best place to drink his beloved tap water.”
“That last one sounds a little disturbing.” Sosuke mumbled.
“You should tell him that, Anna!” Karen let go of her pillow and grabbed her hands instead. “Not the one with the tap water, but the rest of it! Nukumizu seems like the kind of person who would totally change his behavior if he knew that he was hurting you!”
“I- I wouldn’t go so far as to say that he is hurting me.”
“He makes you worry! And he makes you feel lonely! Sure he´s hurting you!”
Yes, well, but… he was only her friend. One of many you could say… If she wanted that to change, to become someone special to him, she would have to…
“I agree with Karen, Anna.” Sosuke was now leaning against the edge of the bed, his series long forgotten. “You should talk to him. It´s never good to keep these feelings bottled up.”
Of course, he would say that.
“Oh, and since when have you become an expert in that field, Sosuke?!”
“Anna is right! You don’t have a clue!” Karen threw her pillow at him while giggling and he caught it with his face. Aka it hit him on the nose.
He threw it back, and when Karen moved out of the way, it hit Anna instead, and so their fight began.
She was laughing and having fun, more than she had had with the two of them in a while. There had been an awkwardness between them for weeks, but right now, she believed she might finally be able to let this go. Deep down though, she couldn’t suppress of a slight feeling of dread, knowing that this evening would be even more enjoyable if Nukumizu were here with them.
Surely he would praise her for being such a grown-up and letting go of her former crush like the Buddha-like figure that she was.
Then again, if he were here, she couldn’t gossip about him with Karen, which she found surprisingly entertaining.
It was funny really, everything had started with her complaining to him about her boy problems, and now, he himself had become her boy problem! What dramatic irony!
Perhaps she should do as Sosuke had said.
Maybe it was indeed time to talk to him.
Anna wasn’t completely sure about her feelings yet, but if there was one thing she wanted to avoid at any cost, it was acting too slowly once again! Letting another girl steal him right from right under her nose. Now that would truly be a cruel joke!
So, the next day, she began evaluating her situation in honest.
She played it cool at first, greeting him like nothing was wrong, but over their school day, she became hyper-aware of every interaction he had with another person.
There really are a lot of girls fighting for his attention now, huh? How come she never noticed that he spends his time almost exclusively with women?! Ayano and sometimes Sosuke were the rare exceptions to the rule, but even they nearly always come together with their girlfriends.
None of the girls acted particularly intimate with him, although both Lemon and that zombie-like girl from the student council definitely got a touch too close for her liking, and yet it still made her feel… funny, uncomfortable even.
The more she tried to analyze that feeling, the more she was looking at him, and every time their eyes would meet, she would turn away embarrassed. Over the day, he caught her looking at him more and more and Anna started to believe she was making a fool of herself.
But she had to be certain! She had to come to a conclusion and fast!
Everything she observed about herself made her feel like she was indeed being jealous like she had been of Karen, but was that truly an exclusively romantic feeling? Could she not be jealous as a friend who wanted to spend more time with him? Surely that wasn’t unheard of?
Time was running a mile a minute until finally, the last bells of the day rang, signaling the end of school.
Anna was still wracking her brain for answers when suddenly, the source of all her problems was standing right beside her.
“Hey, Yanami. I was wondering if you might have a moment.”
“Whoa!” Distracted as she had been, she nearly fell off her chair in shock.
“Yanami!” He grabbed her arm to keep her from falling and she felt her cheeks heat up in an instant.
“I- i- it's okay! Everything's fine! Jeez, don’t sneak up on me like that Nukumizu!” She tried to defuse the situation by giving him a teasing smile. Thankfully, it seemed to ease the worries she had spotted on his face.
“I´m sorry. I didn’t intend to startle you like that.”
“Ah, don’t sweat it.” She easily waved away his apology. Sometimes she tended to forget that he was the kind of person who took things too literally. It was endearing, mostly, but, since she wanted to pay closer attention to her feelings and his behavior, maybe she needed to be a bit more careful. “So, you wanted to talk to me?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.” There was a kind smile on his face, the one he always wore when he cared for someone, and Anna wanted to curse herself when it again brought the heat back into her cheeks. “Do you have some time after school? Would you like to grab a bite to eat with me?”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
She looked at him a bit flabbergasted and he looked just as confused in return.
Wait, was he- did he just-
“A- are you asking me out?”
“Wha- No! No, no, no!” Now it was his turn to get embarrassed, and compared to Anna, he wasn’t able to hide it very well. “I- I- I just wanted to ask since we haven’t eaten with each other in a while now and I-, you know what never mind. I´m stupid.”
Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.
He had noticed it too. That they hadn't been together as often as of late. And he wanted to fix it. She wanted to scream out of glee until she noticed that he was about to turn around and leave.
“Whoa, there!” She grabbed his arm to make him stop. “I was just joking!” No, she hadn't, but it seemed best to pretend for now. “I´d love to grab a bite with you!”
The way in which he raised his eyebrow at her made clear that he wasn’t convinced. “You sure?”
“Do you take me for a liar, Nukumizu? How rude! I thought we had grown past that silliness.”
When he began to stumble out another apology, her hold on him wandered down from his arm to his hand and she gave it a gentle squeeze to make him stop.
“Another joke. You should really learn to identify them one of these days!”
He let out a breath as his shoulders slumped a bit. “You say that as if it were easy.”
She snickered at his reaction until she realized that she wasn’t the only person in the room laughing. As she looked around, she found Karen, looking at her with excitement in her eyes. Then, she saw her pointing at her hand before forming a heart with it.
That was when she realized that she was still very much holding on to Nukumizu´s hand.
Raising from her chair in one swift motion, she let go of it immediately and walked past him toward the door. “Well then! Let's go!”
“Oh, ah, yes, right!” He came stumbling behind her and the embarrassment she felt only began to fade when she couldn’t hear the laughs coming out of their classroom anymore.
After a comparatively silent walk which allowed her to compose herself again, they quickly found themselves in front of their favorite little restaurant. The one in which they had first met.
“Ah!” Feeling up her pockets with her hands, Anna suddenly came to a horrible realization. “I did it again! I forgot my wallet!”
“That should count as your signature move by now.” He laughed.
“Now wait a minute! This is your fault!” Accusingly, she poked him with her finger.
“How is this my fault?”
“I never intended to go eating after school! Ergo; I did not need my wallet! You made me come here.”
“I don’t think you should make a habit out of leaving your wallet at home, Yanami. What if you have an accident? Without your wallet, nobody would be able to identify you.”
“Please.” She pulled her ID out of her back pocket like it was a credit card. “As if I haven’t planned for that.”
“Why do you have your ID with you but not your wallet?!”
“So that I could be identified in case of an accident?” The teasing way in which she said it made him sigh.
“It´s as if you're just waiting for people to invite you to dinner...”
“Beg your pardon, sir?”
“Ah, whatever. It´s on me anyway. My treat.”
Her eyes lit up in excitement. “Really?!”
“Yes, really.” He was smiling once again. “But please don’t bankrupt me in a single day, okay?”
“Hey, you offered.” With a skip in her step, she walked into the restaurant and he hurried after her.
This was perfect. Ideal, really. She couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to evaluate her feelings! Plus; he had asked her! If anything, that made it even better in her eyes. Surely, he could have gone to the literature club after school instead, but he had put that off so he could spend time with her!
Alone with her, she mentally added!
One might think he knew exactly what was going through her head since he was collecting points like crazy.
And, if it wasn’t already enough that he was paying for her, he behaved unusually gentlemanly and kindly the entire time. He pulled a chair out for her, took care of her jacket, and managed the waiter. Then, he asked about her day, how things were going, and if the series marathon had been fun yesterday.
Anna felt like she was on cloud nine.
This truly felt like a date! A real date! And he was being the perfect partner! Who knew he had it in him? If every date with him turned out to be like that, she would have no problem indulging him as often as he liked!
None whatsoever!
Oh, she could see it in front of her eyes. All the pretty restaurants he could take her to!
“Yanami, you´re spacing out again.”
“Oh.” He must have caught her daydreaming. “Sorry.”
“Are you sure everything is alright? Nothing is bothering you?”
She vigorously shook her head. “No! I´m perfect!” The biggest grin was plastered on her face. “Or at least I will be once the food arrives!”
Nukumizu put a hand to his head but he seemed to relax a bit.
“Seems like I have been worrying for nothing, then.”
“Hm?” With both hands holding her cheeks she leaned forward on the table. “You were worried about good old me? How very sweet of you, my dear darling Nukumizu. I feel honored.”
“…Stop teasing…” Once more she nearly screamed in delight when she spotted the slight blush on his face.
“I can’t. You just make it too easy!”
Before they could elaborate, their dinner arrived.
For once, she hadn't picked something too expensive, not wanting him to spend so much money on her this time out of fear he might not invite her again, but it didn’t matter, the food tasted delicious either way. She hadn't even realized how hungry she had been until she had taken her first bite. After that, she gobbled everything up as if she hadn't eaten for days!
It must have been a new record. Nukumizu was still in the middle of his ramen when she ordered dessert.
“I was truly worried over nothing.” He said, while seemingly checking his wallet if he had enough cash on him.
“What do you mean?” She questioned while looking up from the menu.
“I´m sure you must have noticed that I have been looking at you a little more regularly today, right?” Suppressing another blush, she nodded. “Yeah, I must not have been very subtle.”
“W- why were you looking? I- if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I thought you must be sick or depressed or something.” There was a slight frown on his face as he said these words.
“What? Why?”
After a second of hesitation, he almost yelled at her.
“Because you haven’t eaten anything all day, Yanami!”
“Huh?”
“Yes! No snacks, no sweets, nothing! I was beyond worried!”
Without thinking, she hit him slightly in the head.
“You idiot!” In their never-ending match of embarrassment ping pong, it seemed to be her turn once more. “Just because I´m not eating something during school doesn’t mean I´m sick!”
“But you always eat something in between lessons! You called it the highlight of your day so many times! It freaked me out when you didn’t!” His hands were moving frantically in front of his face as he tried to justify himself. “Not to mention that you looked almost as lost in thoughts as I usually do! I was so sure something was wrong!”
“Nothing is wrong you airhead!” Then, an idea came to her mind. “Although I was pretty bummed out when you blew me off the other day…”
“Wha- I didn’t blow you off!”
“Did too!”
“When?!”
“Yesterday evening! Karen was totally on my side when I told her!”
“But- but I apologized! I would have come if I hadn't-“
“Would´ve, should´ve, could´ve. Doesn’t change the fact that you left me alone with those two, now does it?”
He looked flabbergasted. “I thought you didn’t mind being alone with them anymore?”
“Sure I do!” She said lying through her teeth. “So, as someone who cares for my well-being, you shouldn’t leave me alone with them! Not ever!”
His head dropped in resignation and Anna had to hold her mouth to keep the laughter at bay.
“Alright, alright, I apologize. Next time, I´ll help you out, I promise.”
“Great!” Her cutlery rattled a little as she leaned over the table.
Luckily for her, he looked up at the sound, so she didn’t have to strain herself too much as she kissed his cheek, lingering in that position probably a little longer than was appropriate.
When she returned to her seat, she knew both their faces were as red as a beet and he didn’t make the situation any easier when he adorably rubbed his cheek as if he had been hit with a stun gun.
“Don’t you dare break that promise, mister!” The words were spoken a little bit too quickly, but she didn’t care.
What was much more important was that her evaluation had come to an end. She knew now what she wanted, and somehow, when she looked at his face and how he slowly lit up the same way she had before, she was confident that no one would get in her way this time.
“I would never…”
She beamed at him before taking the menu back into her hands.
“I knew you wouldn’t, so, would you like to share a dessert?”
“Share a desert?!”
“Yeah! I hear they only serve one spoon for some of them.”
As he struggled to formulate any kind of response, Anna finally gave in to her laughter.
Oh, this was going to be so much fun in the future!